Shell-retainer for breakdown guns.



- No. 890,186. PATENTED JUNE 9, 1908.

'J. SINGER.

SHELL RETAINER FOR BREAKDOWN GUNS.

APPLICATION rum) AUG.16, 1906.

FIQ.

JOSEPH SINGER, OF L;OS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

SHELL-RETAINER FOR BREAKDOWN GUNS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 9, 1908.

'Application filed August 16, 1906. Serial No. 330,892.

To all whom it. may concern:

Be it known that I, J OSEPH SINGER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in the city of Los Angeles, county of Los Angeles, and State of California, have invented a new and useful Shell-Retainer for Breakdown Guns, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for retaining shot shells from accidentally slipping out of the shell chambers of shot guns.

In shot guns there is a liability of the cartridge shells slipping rearwardly out of the gun barrel when the breech is open and the barrels are tipped upwardly. It is often desired to reload one barrel of the gun while the barrel is pointed upwardly, for example in duck shooting from sunken blinds or other places where the hunter is in a crouching position, it is not possible or convenient to hold the gun down when re-loadjng. In such cases, when the breech is opened while the barrel is tipped upwardly the cartridge shell is liable to slip rearwardly out of the barrel; especially as the shell ejector partially withdraws the shell when the barrel is broken.

My invention provides means which exerts suflicient friction on the shell to hold it from slipping out of the shell chamber while not interfering with its forcible ejection by the ejector, or its ready removal by hand.

One object of the invention is to provide means for holding the shell in this manner without presenting any projection at the outside of the gun.

In the accompanying drawings :-Figure 1 is a vertical section of the gun barrel provided with the invention, part of the stock being shown in elevation. Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 110 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is perspective of the retaining device.

1 designates a gun barrel, which is assumed to be the barrel of a double barreled shot gun and 2, the stock pivotally connected thereto at 3. 4 designates the ejector. All of these parts are of the usual and well known construction.

The retaining device 5 consists of a spring member adapted to press yieldingly on the outside of the cartridge shell indicated at 6, inserted with the shell chamber. Said spring is seated in a recess 7 in the wall of the gun barrel and may be variously constructed.

The recess 7 extends longitudinally of the barrel, parallel to the inner face of the shell chamber, and is separated from the shell chamber by a partition or part of the wall of the shell chamber, said wall having an opening through which the end of said recess communicates with the shell chamber. The end of the spring member extends or projects through the opening.

The retainer consists of a spring wire bent in V-shape, the recess being of corres onding shape to receive the same, one en of the spring member being bent to form a roll or head, as at 8, to extend from the recess into the shell chamber of the gun and the other end of the said spring member being bent, as at 9, to engage in a hole 10 in the gun barrel at one end of the recess 7 to hold the spring member in place.

The body of the s ring device is separated from the shell cham er by a wall portion 18, which protects it from the heat of the discharge, and also protects or guards it in such manner that it will not catch on or interfere with the operation, of the usual cleaning devices, the rounding of the spring device also conducing to this end. Furthermore, the point at which the spring device is exposed to the shell chamber, is so far to the rear of the front end of the cartridge, that there is no liability of gases escaping from the perforation in the barrel made for the reception of the spring.

The operation is as follows :-Assuming that one shell of-a double barreled shot gun has been discharged, and that it is desired to reload the same barrel while the gun is pointed upwardly, the breach is broken, ejecting the shell from the discharged barrel, and partially withdrawing the shell from the other barrel, this shell is retained from slipping out by the frictional action of the spring device, thereby obviating the necessity of placing the thumb or hand on the shell to hold it in place when the barrel is tipped upwardly, thus eliminating a serious source 0 injury which may be caused by catching the flesh of the thumb or hand between the breech of the gun and the stock when it is necessary to hold the shells in place with the hand'when closing the breech.

By the use of a spring, such as shown and described, all of the parts of the device are protected from dirt and dust accumulating in the spring receiving recess, and there are head toextend from the recess through the no projections or obstructions outside of the said opening into the shell chamber, and the 15 gun barrel. other end of the spring member being bent What I claim is to engage said hole in the outer Wall of the A shot gun shell chamber having a recess recess, to retain the spring member in place. extending longitudinally in its Wall, and In testimony whereof I have hereunto set communicating at one end with the shell my hand at Los Angeles California this 7th 20 chamber through an opening in said Wall, day of August, 1906.

the outer Wall of said recess being provided with a hole, in combination with a spring I JOSEPH SINGER member of spring Wire, bent in V-shape, the In presence ofrecess being of corresponding shape, one end ARTHUR P. KNIGHT,

of the spring member being bent to form a FRANK L. A. GRAHAM. 

